


(kisses of fire, burning burning) i'm at the point of no returning

by ashley_in_the_know



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Huddling For Warmth, Hurt/Comfort, Mutual Pining, Trial of the Take Au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-01
Updated: 2019-02-01
Packaged: 2019-10-20 09:47:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17620148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashley_in_the_know/pseuds/ashley_in_the_know
Summary: The return journey from slaying the white dragon isn't nearly as uneventful as Percy imagined it would be.orVex might actually be freezing to death, Percy offers to help.





	(kisses of fire, burning burning) i'm at the point of no returning

Percy is of the opinion that they need to stop willingly venturing into frozen hellscapes masquerading as forests. Vex especially. She’d nearly died to a basilisk in the Frostweald, and now? Now she might actually have hypothermia, among other things.

Killing Rhimefang, well, it hadn’t been  _easy_ , but they’d all survived and made off with not a small amount of treasure. They’d thought the return journey would be simple. They’d thought the danger was behind them.

They’d been wrong.

First, Scanlan and Lyra managed to attract the attention of the godsdamned banshee that they’d narrowly avoided only days earlier.  _Then_ , the noise of that battle (because banshee’s were fucking loud as fuck) attracted a hunting party of orcs. And, of course, they had an ogre and direwolves, and the relatively simple battle turned into a chaotic clusterfuck that ended with the orc leader body slamming Vex through a layer of thin ice, submerging them both in the frigid pond no one realized they’d been fighting on.

Trinket had saved the day, diving into the water and emerging only moments later with his soaking, shivering mistress. Percy and Grog made sure that the orc never resurfaced, while Zahra and Lyra fussed over Vex’ahlia, warming and drying her as best they could with Prestidigitation. She’d sneezed a few times, then vomited up a good amount of pond water before declaring herself fine and mounting her horse.

It’s been a few hours since then, and it’s become increasingly obvious to Percy that Vex is  _not_ fine. Nowhere near it.  _Fine_ is back at Greyskull Keep, playing cards with Jarett and Shayne. Vex is only keeping up with the party because Zahra has her horse by the reins. She’s either not participating in conversation at all, or trailing off halfway through her thoughts when she tries. Her lips are a dangerous shade of blue, and she’s still shivering violently despite the numerous heavy cloaks she’s wrapped in.

Percy and Zahra exchange a worried glance. They need to find cover  _fast_ , get a fire going, get Vex warm before she loses consciousness. Percy recognizes the signs of hypothermia; Ludwig had fallen through the skating pond when Percy was twelve, and they’d nearly lost him. Luckily, he’d only lost a couple of toes, but Percy knows that time is of the essence if they’re going to get Vex through this unscathed.

“Oh! Oh my gosh, look!” Lyra’s shout startles them all, even Vex sluggishly turns to the girl. She’s pointing excitedly just off the path. “There’s a cave right over there, look!”

“Oh, thank the gods,” Zahra mutters, directing her and Vex’s horses towards the cave. “Come on, darling, let’s get you warm.”

Grog investigates the cave first, declares it safe, then goes about setting a fire in the center of the room. Scanlan and Lyra tend to the horses, while Percy and Zahra herd Vex into the cave, Trinket hot on their heels.

Vex lets Zahra pull her into her lap, instinctively seeking the tiefling’s body heat. Percy sets up a bedroll as close to the fire as he dares, then starts divesting Vex of her armor. He hesitates removing her boots, but only for a moment, replacing them with a thick pair of socks from his pack after checking her feet for frostbite.

Zahra sighs. “I think she’s going to have to lose the entire outer layer, at least,” she tells Percy. “She’s still damp to the touch, and Prestidigitation can only do so much.”

“What are you thinking?” he asks.

Zahra thinks for a moment. “Get her down to one layer, I can do the same, and I can share her bedroll tonight. My body heat should be enough to get her back to a safe temperature.”

He nods. “It’s a good plan.” He cups Vex’s cheek, strokes his thumb over the icy skin. “Is that alright with you, dear?”

Vex blinks slowly, focuses on him. “I’m so sorry, darling,” she murmurs. “Is what alright?”

“Are you alright with stripping down to minimal clothing and having Zahra share your bedroll tonight?” he asks. “We figure that sharing body heat is the best way to get your temperature up.”

She nods. “Yeah, alright.” She covers his hand on her cheek with hers. “But not Zahra.”

He catches Zahra’s raised eyebrow and shrugs. “Not Zahra? Are you sure? She definitely runs the hottest out of all of us.”

Vex nods. “I’m sure,” she confirms. “If I’m...sharing my bed with someone...” She trails off momentarily. “I want you, Percy.”

He must flush as red as he feels, because a lazy smirk is playing on her lips. “Me?” he asks, once he’s confident his voice won’t come out a squeak.

She nods. “Yes.”

He clears his throat. “Any particular reason for that?”

Another nod.

“Ah,” he says. “Is it a reason you’d like to share?” he tries.

She shakes her head. “Not particularly, no.”

“Alright then,” he says after a minute. He stands. “I’ll, ah, let you get situated then.” He retreats to the back of the cave where he strips down to his long-johns, double and triple checking that the butt-flap is securely in place.

He feels eyes on him as he returns to Vex, and glances over to where Lyra, Scanlan, and Grog are supposedly preparing dinner. Lyra is fighting back giggles, Grog has a broad grin stretching across his face, and Scanlan just wiggles his eyebrows at Percy.

“Oh, shut up,” he says, rolling his eyes.

Scanlan and Grog only grin wider. “We said  _nothing_ ,” Scanlan defends.

“You didn’t have to, darling,” Zahra says, laughter in her voice.

Vex is already snuggled in her bedroll, covered with extra furs, Trinket pressed against her back. Her hair is out of its braid, brushed out and drying in waves. Percy hesitates before crawling into the bedroll with her.

“Are you sure you don’t want the side closer to the fire?” he asks.

Vex just hums. “This is fine,” she murmurs. “Trinket’s plenty warm, and I have it on good authority from Kiki that you’re lovely to cuddle with.”

“As you wish.” He climbs into the bedroll, maneuvers until Vex is happily sandwiched between him and Trinket. She’s pressed so tightly against him that he can feel her shake with laughter when his stomach rumbles loudly.

“You should eat something,” she says, her voice muffled from where she’s pillowed on his chest.

“It can wait for now,” he says. “Getting you warm is infinitely more important at the moment.”

He fully intends to get up and get dinner, but with every passing minute, the exhaustion from the day’s events weighs heavier on him. He’s so tired, the fire at his back is so warm, and Vex is so soft, fitting perfectly against him. She only just falls asleep before him, the steady rise and fall of her chest calming his racing heart and lulling him into unconsciousness.

* * *

Vex is more than a little confused when she wakes. She’s hot as balls, for one thing. She’s squished uncomfortably between two bodies, for another, and her pillow seems to be breathing. Although, that bit clears itself up when she realizes her pillow isn’t a pillow so much as it is someone’s chest. Specifically, Percy’s chest.

She rubs a hand over her face. “What the f-”

Percy shifts underneath her (beside her? She can’t really tell). “Vex? Oh, thank the gods, you’re awake.”

She pushes herself up to sitting. “Percy?”

He sits up, too. “Mhmm.” He gives her a once-over, runs a hand through his rumpled hair. “How are you feeling?”

Yesterday is coming back to her in pieces, including the bit where she asked him to share her bed. For body heat. Right. “I’m alright, considering.” The look he gives her is pure disbelief. “Really, Percy, I’m fine,” she says with more conviction. She takes his hand on impulse, squeezes it. “Thank you, though. For taking care of me.” She laughs softly. “I think I might actually owe you my life.”

Percy flushes, a sheepish grin on his face. “Well, it was either that or face death at the hands of your brother,” he teases. “In all seriousness, I’m glad you’re feeling better. You had us all rather worried for a while there.”

She winces. “I’m sorry. I really didn’t mean for you to-”

“Vex’ahlia,” he cuts her off gently. “You don’t need to apologize for nearly dying.” He nudges her. “Just, maybe save it for when we have Pike or Keyleth with us.”

He narrowly dodges the elbow she aims at his ribs. “As you wish,” she says, rolling her eyes.

Percy stands, stretches. “Breakfast should be ready in about fifteen minutes,” he says. “Lyra and Zahra managed to get all of your clothes dried; they’re over in that corner with the rest of your pack.” He wanders off in search of his own clothing, and she watches him go, trying to ignore the tug in her chest that’s been happening with alarming frequency as of late.

She turns to Trinket, wraps her arms around his neck, and buries her face in his shoulder. “Oh, buddy, what am I going to do?”

Her bear makes a mournful noise, nudging her cheek, his breath displacing a lock of tangled hair.

Vex sighs. “I don’t know either, darling,” she says, kissing his furry cheek. “I don’t know either.”

 


End file.
